Many churches have more space within their buildings than they can make full use of, and maintaining these buildings properly can be a burden. At the same time the shortage of affordable housing for local people is a huge problem for many communities in Cumbria.

People are often suprised at how much housing can be provided within a public building which seems fairly small. Most examples so far involve whole churches being converted to housing, with the congregation moving to another building.  However a part conversion, with the rest of the building retained for worship, can also be considered.

Churches often support the redevelopment of church land and property for social housing in principle but not all have the capacity to overcome the hurdles. A web-based resource, produced by the Faith in Affordable Housing initiative,  is designed to guide efforts to sell underused church land and buildings and boost the supply of social housing for the benefit of rural communities,  For example, with guidance from the Charity Commission, the FiAH team has been able to demonstrate that, in appropriate circumstances, churches can accept below market value for their property and land. Technical information is brought to life through nine case studies in Faith in Affordable Housing's guide including the conversion of Ambleside Methodist Church and Troutbeck School for affordable housing.

Affordable Housing is provided through Housing Associations.  There are a number of Housing Associations active in Cumbria.  Mitre Housing is a small Cumbrian Housing Association.  It has close connections to the Diocese of Carlisle but works with all denominations.  Mitre does not have its own website but you can view its annual report.  If you wish to discuss a possible project you can contact the chairman, Ian Turnbull, on 01228 710261.

Other Housing Associations in Cumbria that have worked on church conversions include Impact Housing.

For more information, including a case study of the conversion of Ambleside Methodist Church see this paper, 'Housing to Meet Local Need' from Churches Together in Cumbria's Social Responsibility Forum.